Engine-starter.



H. M. KINSLOW.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLOATION FILED FEB. 5, 1912.

1,098,443, Patented June 2,1914,

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ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.5,1912.

1,098,448e Patented June 2, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'UNITED sTATiis PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY INI. KINSLW, OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 H. B. FOLSOM, 0F LUS ANGELES', CALIFORNIA.

ENGINE-STARTER.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY M. KINSLOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Ana, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Engine- Starters, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to an engine starter particularly adapted for automobile engines and the like; and it relates to a single combination and mechanism whereby an internal combustion engine may be started by fluid pressure and whereby the fluid pressure may be kept up by a suitable reversal of the same mechanism.

In general, my device consists of a pump and engine mechanism (preferably a cylinder, piston and valve combination), a mechanism for connecting the pump and engine machine to the internal combustion engine shaft for rotation in one direction or the opposite, and means for admitting fluid un* der pressure to the engine mechanism and to operate the shaft connections.

Broadly, the operation of the machine includes the following; connections ordinarily stand to connect the cylinder and piston combination to atmosphere and to a storage chamber in the manner of a pump, and a pressure controlled means automatically connects and disconnects the pump mecha` nism with the main engine shaft as the pressure falls and rises. use the mechanism as a starter, the fluid pressure connections are moved to change the pump mechanism into an engine mecha-` nism, and this same fluid pressure operates a device for mechanically connecting ,1` the en` gine mechanism to the main shaft of the engine in such relation that the main shaft will be rotated in the proper direction when the engine mechanism is operated by the fluid pressure.

lWith this brief outline of my invention, l will proceed to a detailed explanation of the same, a preferred ferm thereof being shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure l is a rear end elevation, showing diagrammatically the connections between the storage chamber, the operating valve and the starter mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation viewing the device from the rear,

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application le February 5, 1912.

1vllhen it is desired tolkeyed to crank shaft 29.

Patented June 2, 1914. serial No. 675,570.

from the direction indicated by the lines and arrows in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical. section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is an enlarged sectional detail taken on line 1 -f1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section showing the valve and port arrangement of the pump and engine cylinders. Fig. (i is an enlarged elevation taken as indicated by line 6 of Fig. 2.

1n the drawings 10 designates a case, of which only one half is shown in Fig. 3. Suitable means (not shown) are employed for holding the case stationary. Centrally situated within the case is a main shaft 1.1 having on its rear end a. clutch member 12 for connection with the shaft of an internal combustion engine. This shaft is mounted in suitable bearings 13 and 1-l and has on its forward end a ratchet member 15 which may be used for engagement by a` hand starting lever. Loosely mounted on shaft 11 adjacent bearing 14 is a large gear 1G having ratchet clutch teeth 17 on the face of its hub away from bearing 1-1. A. sliding clutch member 18 is loosely keyed to shaft 11 and has suitable ratchet clutch teeth 19 to engage with teeth 17. A grooved ring 2O surrounds ,sleeve 18 and is slidable thereon, a spring' 21 holding the grooved ring nermally in the position shown. A yoke 22 on the lower end of an arm 25 engages with the groove in ring 20. Cn the other end of sleeve 18 ratchet clutch teeth 241 are provided engageable with similar teeth 25 on a gear 26. Gear 26 is also loosely mounted on shaft 11 and meshes with intermediate gears 97 and 2?'1 in turn meshing with a gear Q8 Crank shaft 29 carries. crank disks 30 which have a crank pin 31 to which are connected two piston rods Piston rods 32 carry pistons 33 within oscillating cylinders 34C. Cylinders Se have cylindrical bases 35 if hich surround trunnions 36, the valve ports being cut in the trunnions and in the cylinder cylindrical bases. Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of ports; but as the action is substantially the same as the well known oscillating engine, it will no-t be entered into herein. It will sul'licc to say that l have placed my ports on a cylindrical surface rather than on a flat surface, thus equalizing all pressures and eliminating unequal wear. The ports are so arranged that, when ports 10 are made the inlets for fluid pressure, the crank shaft 29 Will be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrovv. This Will cause the rotation of shaft 11 in the direction indicated, a small gear Ll5 meshing with gear 1G to cause the rotat-ion of shafts 11 and 29 in opposite directions. Ports 40 in trunnions 36 are each connected to inlet pipe 50, the one by means of a simple cored passage 51 and the other by means of a tube 52 and cored passages 53. The other ports Within the trunnions 36 designated by the numerals 56 are connected to exhaust pipe 57 by means of a cored passage 53 in one case and. by means of tube 59 and cored passages 60 in the other. Pipes 50 and 57 are connected to a suitable valve G5 by means of which pipe 57 is kept normally connected with pipe 66 leading from pressure storage 67. But by turning the valve the pipe 50 may be connected With pipe G6 and the pipe 57 connected to atmosphere through port 68. lVhen the valve is in this last mentioned position, the piston and cylinder combinations Will act as compressed air engines and Will turn the crank shaft in the direction described, the exhaust from the cylinders passing through pipe 57 to atmosphere. Then the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the cylinder and piston mecianism acts as an air compressor driven at a speed about the same as the main shaft; this relatively loiv speed being effected through gears 26, 27, 27il and 23, as Will be described.

Vhen air pressure is admitted to pipe 50 and to the inlet ports of the engine mechanism, it is also admitted, through a cored opening 70 to a pipe 71 which leads to inlet 72 of a small cylinder 73. Cylinder 73 contains a piston 7st having a rod 75 Which is adapted to move it in the direction indicated in Fig. and to press against a small bell crank lever 76. Lever 76 is pivoted at 7 7 on arm 23, hereinbefore described, and is normally held in the position shown by means of a spring 73. The other end of lever 76 abuts against a stop 7 9 When the apparatus is in normal position; that is, When the arm 23 and yoke 22 are in such position as to hold the clutch sleeve 18 in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 6. The first action when piston rod 7 5 is pushed outwardly is to move the bell crank lever 7 6 about its pivot until its arm pressed by rod 7 5 engages with a pin stop S0 set in arm 23. Thereupon the further movement of the piston will cause the movement of arm 23 in the direction indicated and Will cause the movement of clutch sleeve 1S so that clutch teeth 19 will engage With clutch teeth 17. Gear 16 is rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and shaft 11 is therefore immediately rotated in the same direction. This is the direction in which it is desired to rotate the engine shaft to start the engine in operation. immediately the engine starts its normal operation, the operator will release the valve 65 to the position shown in Fig. 1, cutting oi the supply of iiuid pressure which has been operating the engine mechanism. The engine mechanism immediately stops; and at the same time fluid pressure is removed from cylinder 73 and the arm 23 is allowed to move back in the direction opposite to that indicated. But in-its movement back the arm is actuated by spring 85, and the inertia and friction of piston 7e tend to hold the arm of lever 76 against-pin stop 80, holding the upper arm of the lever down so that it Will pass under the stop 7 9. This allows the arm 23 to move to a position considerably to the right of the position shown in the drawings and to move clutch sleeve 18 to the position Where its clutch teeth 24 Will engage with clutch teet i 25. These clutch teeth are so designed that the gear 25 Will then be driven from the shaft 11, shaft 11 being now driven by the internal combustion engine. Crank shaft 29 is then rotated through gears 26, 27 and 2S, but vvith less relative velocity than that With Which it was before rotated. This causes the mechanism to act directly as an air pump, and to draw air through inlet pipe 50 and to compress it through pipe 57 into storage chamber G7. Compression of air will take place in this manner until the clutch is throvvn again to its normal position by the. following described mechanism. immediately above cylinder 73 there is supplied a controlling cylinder 100 having a piston 101 therein connected with a piston rod 102 which is adapted to press on arm 23 when moved in the direction indicated by the arroiv. A spring 103 of sutlicient Weight may. oppose the movement of the piston. Cylinder 100 is connected to the pipe 57, and thereby to the pressure storage reservoir, through the medium of connection 105, tube 106, cored passage 107, and tube 59. When the pressure in the reservoir has reached acertain predetermined ligure, the piston rod 102 moves outwardly and presses the lever 23, vfhich is pivoted at at the upper end, in the direction indicated by the arroiv until clutch teeth 24 and 25 are disengaged. This immediately stops the operation of the pump mechanism. The apparatus is thus again in its normal position and will remain so until it is again desired to start the engine. n

It Will be seen that l have thus accomplished the objects of my invention in that I provide a single mechanism which acts both as a starter and as a fluid compressor, and in which the changes from one mechanism to the other are accomplished almost automatically. It is only necessary for the operator to move a single valve in a very simple manner; the keeping up of pressure will automatically take care of itself.

Having described my invention, l claim:

l. ln combination, a fluid pressure receiver, a frame, a main shaft journaled therein, a crank sha-ft journaled therein, a cylinder and piston mechanism connected to the crank shaft and having inlet and outlet ports, a pair of clutch members loosely mounted on the main shaft and rotatively connected to the crank shaft, anotherl clutch member slidably keyed to the main shaft to engage either of the first mentioned clutch members, spring and stop means for holding said last mentioned clutch member neutrally between the others, fluid pressure operated means for moving said last mentioned clutch member into engagement with one of the other clutch members against the action of said spring and to also release said stop mea-ns, means operated by fluid above a certain pressure to move said last mentioned clutch member to its neutral position, and valve mechanism whereby the said inlet port and the firstmentioned fluid pressure operated means or the said outlet port and the last mentioned fluid pressure operated means may be connected to the fluid pressure receiver.

2. In combination, a main shaft, a fluid pressure mechanism having inlet and eX- haust ports and adapted either to receive fluid pressure and deliver mechanical power or to receive mechanical power and deliver compressed fluid, two clutch means for connecting said mechanism to said shaft, fluid pressure operated means for operating one of said clutch means, means operated by fluid above a certain pressure to operate the other clutch means, a fluid pressure reservoir, and manually operable valve mechanism whereby the said mechanism inlet and the first mentioned fluid pressure operated means or the said mechanism outlet and the second mentioned fluid pressure operated means may be connected t-o said reservoir.

3. ln combination, a main shaft, a fluid pressure mechanism, a pair of clutches adapted to connect said mechanism with said shaft to cause the rotation of mechanism and shaft in the same or opposite directions, means including a releasable stop for holding said clutches normally disengaged, fluid pressure operated means for moving one of said clutches into engagement and for releasing said releasable stop, means operable by fluid above a certain pressure to throw the other clutch out of engagement, a fluid pressure reservoir with which said fluid pressure mechanism connects, and valve means for connecting either of said fluid pressure operated means l"to the reservoir.4

l. ln combination, a fluid pressure receiver, a frame, a main shaft journaled therein, a mechanism with inlet and outlet ports adapted to act either as a fluid pres sure motive power or as a fluid compressor, a pair of clutch members loosely mounted on the mainw shaft and rotatively connected to the said mechanism, another clutch member rotating with said main shaft and adapted to cooperate with either of the said two clutch members, releasable means for hold ing said clutch members in such relative positions as to be normally disengaged, fluid pressure operated means for causing the engagement of one of the first two mentioned clutch members with the last mentioned clutch member and for causing the release of the clutch holding means, means operated by fluid above a certain pressure to cause the clutch members to return to their normal disengaged positions, and valve mechanism whereby the inlet port of said mechanism and the first mentioned fluid pressure operated means or the outlet port of said mechanism and the last mentioned fluid pressure operated means may be connected to the fluid pressure receiver.

ln witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 26th day of January 1912.

HENRY M. KINSLOW.

Witnesses:

C. H. Lows, HENRY B. FoLsoM.

opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the f Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ZD. (2. 

